Open CDR file without colour profile?

[Wouter]

Hello,

I want to learn Inkscape using files created with CorelDRAW!. When opening the files in Inkscape the colours are very flat. I've been trying to 'disable' colour profiles to get the default vibrant colours, but just can't get it to work. Strangely when I draw new shapes into an opened CDR drawing these shapes -do- have the vibrant colours Note: The files are not for printing, so I don't care about matching colour profiles to printers or other devices. So I'm asking you for help on how to get the coorect colours displayed (without colour profile). Many thanks in advance for any help!

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

Since I've never configured a color profile, either for my screen or for Inkscape, I'm not sure what the default behavior is.  But in Edit menu > Inkscape Preferences > Input/Output > Color Management > Display Adjustment, you can choose "None" and that will prevent Inkscape from using any color profile.

If you find that's what was already set, when you get there, then perhaps there's some kind of color profile set for Corel?  Or if you're using Inkscape on a different computer or screen than where you use Corel (maybe that screen is using a color profile)?

If you can't seem to sort it out, please feel free to share an SVG file with us, and also please show a screenshot of what you want or expect to see and what you actually see in Inkscape.

[Wouter]

First of all, thank you for helping out!

The setting you mentioned was already set to not use a display profile, see file 'Inkscape_Settings.png'. The image from CorelDRAW9 is shown in the file 'Inkscape_Import.png'.

I found that in CorelDRAW9 the colours are displayed correct with the setting 'calibrate colours for display' set to 'off'. See image 'CorelDRAW_v9_do not calibrate colous for display.png'. With the same setting activated the colours are also wrong in CorelDRAW, see 'CorelDRAW_v9_calibrate colous for display.png', but different from Inkscape.

Unfortunately CorelDRAW9 cannot export to .svg...

I did not find a similar setting in Inkscape. I suspect the issue might not even be with -which- colour profile is active, but on a higher level i.e. if colour profiles are active at all?
Maybe you can make sense of this?

Many thanks again!

[Moini]

Can Corel Draw convert the image to RGB?

Inkscape only loads RGB SVGs from 'outside sources'. It doesn't really support color management at all, at least not for export, only for display (or, only for export to Scribus, and that's a horrible workflow, as it doesn't really work).

[brynn]

Let me see if I understand.  Your file "CorelDRAW_v9_calibrate colous for display.png" shows the wrong colors in Corel, but not the same wrong colors as you see in Inkscape?

What kind of files are you importing or opening in Inkscape?  Are they CDR files?  (or CDT maybe?)

I don't know if I can actually open a CDR file.  I don't seem to have any to test with.  Could you share one of the files that you're having trouble with, so we can test?  Or whatever kind of files they are, could you share one with us, so we can test?

[Moini]

The OP answered and the answer was lost. Converting to RGB helped, but gradients(?) looked different and they plan to investigate.

[brynn]

I apologize for that.  If we ever have to go through that again, I'll just close the forum, so we don't risk losing messages.

Would Wouter please post their answer again?

[Wouter]

Hello again, weird that my post got lost....

Anyway it is correct that ' "CorelDRAW_v9_calibrate colous for display.png" shows the wrong colors in Corel, but not the same wrong colors as you see in Inkscape? '.
I downloaded the CorelDRAW v2018 Demo and found out that when setting 'simulate color management off' the colours in CorelDRAW are correct (it's in Tools - Color Management - Default Settings under 'Presets'). So that is one issue resolved.

The files I have been trying to import into Inkscape are CorelDRAW v9 files. I just tested opening a file in CorelDRAW v2018 and exporting to .SVG (v9 does not have the option to export to .SVG). The .SVG file colours are correct but some gradient fills look different from the original. I'm still investigating this issue and will post the results.
Nevertheless it seems the way to go is to open each file in CorelDRAW v2018 and then export to .SVG and open the .SVG in Inkscape.

Unfortunately I ran into another issue: The original .CDR files have been made in CorelDRAW v4.4. To convert them into .SVG with CorelDRAW v2018 I first need them in CorelDRAW v7 or newer to be able to open them in CorelDRAW v2018. That's why I have opened and saved each file in CorelDRAW v9 to get a newer file version.
Now I noticed that some files from CorelDRAW v4.4 have lots of objects missing when -opening- them in CorelDRAW v9. When -importing- them in CorelDRAW v9 the files are complete. So basically I wasted a lot of time opening and saving well over 100 files, because CorelDRAW's support for opening older versions is not functioning well. Their backwards compatibility is totally crap and requires me to use several different versions of the program just to be able to make an .SVG file. Of course there is no batch import/save function in CorelDRAW v9 either  . I used to love CorelDRAW back in the day, but this makes me want to get away from CorelDRAW even more and increased my respect for the great work of free/open source software programmers even more!

[Moini]

Whoa. That sounds like a lot of hassle... :-/ Would exporting to pdf or eps shorten the process? Inkscape can import pdf and eps, too (for eps, it needs ghostscript installed, see Inkscape FAQ at https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#how-open-eps-files-windows).

[Wouter]

Just an update:

I compared two circles with an identical smooth circular fill from red to black from the same .CDR file I opened in CorelDRAW 2018. One of these looks great opened in InkScape  from an .SVG export and the other has a very small transition area between the colours making it look weird. When I compare all properties of these circles in CorelDRAW they seem identical (line, fill, etc.). Even when I apply the properties of one circle to the other one or even reversed it makes no difference in the imported .SVG file. This seems like a bug in CorelDRAW, because it should make a difference. This is really getting weird.

On a side note: I have not come to testing as a. PDF or .EPS yet.

[Wouter]

Hello again, another update/summary:

- Old .cdr files from v4.4 must be imported, not opened in CorelDRAW v9 to ensure they are complete
- I'm confident now that the problems with the fills are caused by issues with CorelDRAW when exporting to .SVG, because they also occur when opening the exported .SVG file back into CorelDRAW 2018.
- When exporting to .EPS the fills look OK, but that is only because the radial fill is split up into lots of circles with uniform fill colour, each with a slightly different fill colour. So .EPS is not the way to go.
- Opening .CDR files directly in InkScape causes the colours to be wrong (desaturated) as well as the radial fills getting split up into lots of circles.

So I still have to find a way to solve the issue of some (radial) fills looking weird when opening an .svg  exported from CorelDRAW 2018. I begining to supect that the only way is to fix/redo the problematic fills in either CorelDRAW or InkScape...

[Moini]

What's with pdf?

[brynn]

Thanks for sharing the results of all your research.  It should prove helpful to future users who might have the same problem.

I'm with Moini about trying PDF.

[Wouter]

Hello again, another update:

I tried exporting to .PDF and got unexpected results. The fill transitions actually look good, but the colours are wrong. The colours are different from the desaturated colours I posted before and actually look nice, but nevertheless inaccurate.

I have been trying to find out what causes some fills to have wrong transitions and finally found that when displaying the fill handles in InkScape I can see that with some fills the handles extend beyond the object and for the ones with the weird fills they do not go up to the edge of the object. So I checked every fill setting in CorelDRAW and found the setting 'fill width' that sets the position of the fill width (handle) as a percentage of the objects size. When exporting to .SVG and importing into InkScape the position of these handles is incorrect. It seems like they are halved compared to CorelDRAW. See the attachments. I do not know if the issue is caused by CorelDRAW or InkScape.

So: root issue found, but not (yet) solved.

On a side note. InkScape does not allow to enter an 'offset' larger than 1,00 (with is 100% of the object's size), but I can drag the handle farther than that. I'd like to be able to enter values beyond 1,00 to be able to accurately set the fills.


InkScape not possible to extend the handles

[Moini]

Mmh. I cannot help with the specifics here - I just don't know anything about how gradients are defined in pdf or cdr.

If you'd like a developer to evaluate the issue, you'd need to provide concise instructions, info about your operating system and Inkscape version, and example files in the Inkscape bug tracker at https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape .

[brynn]

On a side note. InkScape does not allow to enter an 'offset' larger than 1,00 (with is 100% of the object's size), but I can drag the handle farther than that. I'd like to be able to enter values beyond 1,00 to be able to accurately set the fills.

Doesn't it kind of make sense that you can't move a middle stop beyond either of the end stops (or beyond 100%)?  Or do I misunderstand what you're talking about?

I don't know any way to set the end stops or handles using coordinates.  You can only move them with the mouse.  But if you need precise positioning, you can use Snapping.

But it could be that if you solve the problem with where the gradients are after export, you won't need to re-set the stops or handle.

I am confused about the file format where the problem is though.  In your last message, you first mentioned PDF, but then at the end, it was SVG.

Have you been talking about gradients through this entire thread?  If so, I didn't realize that.

I don't know if this option will have anything to do with your problem.  But in Inkscape, gradients can either move along with the object they are applied to, or not.  (To be honest, I've never understood why it's even an option.  But it is.)  On the Selection tool control bar, there's a group of 4 similar buttons on the right end.  This one makes sure that the gradient moves along with the object.

What I'm thinking, is that if opening the CDR image in Inkscape requires objects to be moved (maybe to accomodate different coordinate system or resolution), and that option is disabled, maybe the gradients are not ending up in the right place?

Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with it.  But just a thought.

[Wouter]

@Brynn: Just a quick reply: sorry about the confusion in my last post. Only the first remark was about .PDF, the rest was about testing with .CDR and .SVG Export/Import. Since .SVG is an .XML format maybe I can figure out if the cause of the issues with the gradients come from CorelDRAW's export of InkScape's Import functions... I'll keep on searching and also have at look at your suggestion about trying the setting to move gradients with the objects.

[brynn]

Only the first remark was about .PDF, the rest was about testing with .CDR and .SVG Export/Import.

Ok.  I was just thinking that the description of the problem with PDF sounds similar to the problem with SVG - the colors are "off".  I don't know whether it would lead you to a good solution, but I wonder if the gradient handles are shifted with PDF as well as with SVG?  Even if you don't have the XML to give you clues with PDF, you should still be able to see the gradient handles (as long as the objects remain vector).

Just a thought 

[Wouter]

Hello again,

A .PDF from CorelDRAW imported into InkScape shows correct handles.

I have also been playing around with importing and exporting between CorelDRAW and InkScape some more:
1) Export from CorelDRAW to .SVG, opened in InkScape: The handles are exactly half the length they should be, so this is bugged.
2) Saving the same .SVG in InkScape and opening in CorelDRAW again: The handles are exactly as they were in InkScape, so this works.
3) Saving the same .SVG in CorelDRAW and opening in InkScape again: The handles are exactly as they were before., so this also works.
4) Saving the same .SVG in CorelDRAW as .CDR, opening this .CDR again and saving it as .SVG again and opening in InkScape again: The handles are exactly as they were before., so this also works.
5) Creating a new .CDR file in CorelDRAW. Exporting it from CorelDRAW to .SVG, opened in InkScape: The handles are correct, so this also works.
6) Opening the .SVG generated by CorelDRAW in step 1) again in CorelDRAW also shows faulty gradients.

Considering that he problem with the gradients only occurs at the -first- conversion when saving from a .CDR to an .SVG in CorelDRAW when opening the .SVG generated by CorelDRAW in InkScape and combining this with the above results that A) an .SVG file opened and saved again in CorelDRAW is -not- faulty and B) newly created files from .CDR work, the conclusion is that it is highly likely that the conversion from .CDR to .SVG is somehow only bugged for .CDR files based on older CorelDRAW version(s)!

Unfortunately the values to describe the fill in the .XML files are note simple to understand values, but floating point values, at a first glance unrecognizable as a percentage or ratio. So I'm not smart enough to prove my suspicion from looking at the files...

Now I intend to figure out if some double conversion or other trick in CorelDRAW will provide a means to circumvent the problems so I don't have to correct edit each file's gradients by hand 

[Moini]

Yeah, that would be good... PDF had the color problem, right? Couldn't something be done about the colors? E.g. make Corel Draw convert it to RGB color space, or adjust some settings in the export dialog?

[Wouter]

Hello again.

After experimenting with .PDF files I finally found a way to reliably convert into .SVG file format. Well, at least so far .
I have made a guide that hopefully will be useful to others with the same or a similar problem. I will try to convert all my files using this guide and post the results and any updates to the guide if I stumble upon any more issues.

Many thanks brynn & moini for your fantastic help!

[brynn]

Very nice guide!

Thanks again for sharing the results of all your hard work!

[Wouter]

Hello again,

I haven't had the time to convert all my images yet, but did find an important setting missing in my guide. I updated the document and attached it here.

[Wouter]

Just wanted to add that I found yet -another- bug in CorelDRAW. When I open or import a .cdr file from Version 9 in version 2018 some (but not all) radial fills are rotated 180º. I noticed this with a group of 8 objects of which  2 objects had the black colour at the top position and the blue colour at the bottom instead of the other way round as with the other radial fills. How hard can it be to make a new version of program that has decent support for older files of the some program... CorelDRAW used to be such a good program, these issues with newer versions are a shame.